Marthe Wandou

“Being the Right Livelihood laureate gives me the strength and courage to do more what I have been doing, also more effectively. Because I feel like I'm now having more support for what I'm doing for women, girls, and children in Cameroon.”

“Yes, especially for children. Sometimes I feel frustrated because all the children globally should be treated the same concerning their education, protection, health... So, I believe organizations and international actors should focus more on Africa's children's situation, especially in areas like my region, to address issues like child marriage.”

“I primarily work in the far north of Cameroon, where we also face the Boko Haram crisis, which was still going on even when people talked only about the Anglophone crisis because this is maybe a very advertised crisis, but the Boko Haram crisis is still going on.”

“Child marriage is a big problem in Cameroon, and I think it is necessary to have more significant support from the government and international actors. Not just in terms of policies. Policies are good. But also in terms of their implementation. We need to make sure the governments everywhere are aware of the necessity of protecting children, especially girls, as they are being dropped from schools. In addition, accessing birth certificates and child marriages are also critical issues.”

“I chose the term " self-determined" because our role cannot be one of definition or direction. We accompany, support, and encourage, but there comes a moment when a woman takes on personal responsibility, formulates her own interests, and represents and defends them to society. With our work, we open up the opportunity for independent and self-determined development for a person who has suffered violence and is traumatized”

“First and foremost, the trauma and psychological consequences are relevant. Many women have witnessed attacks. They watched their husbands murdered and their children killed in front of their eyes. They had to witness their children or themselves being kidnapped. This traumatic experience overshadows everything. Furthermore, the economic losses are enormous: many women are displaced, and if they fled the war, they did so with nothing. It is not easy to return to life traumatized and empty-handed, with children to constantly care for.”

“My colleagues were very happy. Then my family and our partner organizations. I received calls from everywhere. Within minutes, it was as if someone had sent the message over the airwaves.”